Three Drug Classes Every Dental Professional Should Know: Antibiotics, Analgesics, and Anesthetics

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Price$39.95

Item #L0726

When available, the Online Course format is included with the hard copy, eBook, or audio book formats!

Release Date: March 16, 2016

Expiration Date: March 15, 2019

Oral healthcare professionals (OHCPs) are routinely involved with the selection and prescription of medications for their patients. This course is designed to help them become better-informed prescribers of the top three drug classes employed in dentistry: antibiotics, analgesics, and local anesthetics. Patient safety is the number one concern. Every OHCP should have a strong baseline knowledge of the pharmacology of each of these drug classes and the latest recommendations on appropriate prescribing practices in order to avoid drug-drug interactions. As a prescriber, every dentist takes a professional oath to “do no harm,” and nowhere is this mandate more relevant than in today’s busy dental practice that serves patients with complex medical histories involving multiple chronic diseases and polypharmacy.

Despite significant growth in prescription drug use over the past 20 years, a 2013 study of pharmacology education in North American dental schools found substantial variation among pharmacology course offerings and no increase in the number of hours of pharmacology training over the past three decades. This leaves dental professionals ever more reliant on continuing education to supplement and expand their pharmacology knowledge. The patients who are presenting to dental offices for treatment today are often medically complex and their treatment may require the use of antibiotics, analgesics, and local anesthetics. Oral healthcare professionals need to be knowledgeable about these drug classes in order to better serve their patients.

This intermediate-level course is specifically designed for all members of the dental healthcare team: dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. Since the goal of providing medication in dentistry is to ensure selection of the right drug at the right time and at the right dose for the right patient and the right procedure, the information presented in this course should be considered essential knowledge for all OHCPs, both seasoned and newly credentialed.

AGD Subject Code: 344

Western Schools designates this activity for 4 continuing education credits.

This course is a combined version of, and should not be taken in conjunction with, L0713, L0714, and L0725.

Describe the benefits and limitations of antibiotics and their appropriate use in dental practice

Describe the pharmacotherapies for pain management and the appropriate use of analgesics in dental practice

Describe different types of local anesthetics and their appropriate use in dental practice

Jason H. Goodchild, DMD, is a graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He received his dental training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, where he now holds a position as a clinical associate professor in the Department of Oral Medicine. He is also an assistant professor in the Division of Oral Diagnosis in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at the New Jersey Dental School. Dr. Goodchild has published numerous articles on the topics of enteral sedation, oral medicine, and pharmacology. He has been an invited speaker for the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Association of Dental Examiners. He is a reviewer for the Journal of the American Dental Association, General Dentistry, and Quintessence International. He has also served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Goodchild also maintains a private dental practice in Havertown, Pennsylvania.

Mark Donaldson, BSP, RPH, PharmD, FASHP, FACHE, received his baccalaureate degree from the University of British Columbia and his doctorate in clinical pharmacy from the University of Washington. He has further completed a residency at Canada’s largest tertiary care facility, Vancouver General Hospital, and is the current Director of Pharmaceutical Services at Kalispell Regional Healthcare. Dr. Donaldson is a clinical professor in the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in Missoula and clinical associate professor in the School of Dentistry at the Oregon Health & Science University

in Portland, Oregon. He has a special interest in dental pharmacology and has lectured internationally to both dental and medical practitioners. Dr. Donaldson has a number of published works in the peer-reviewed literature and has co-authored textbook chapters. He spent three years in Japan focusing on cross-cultural communication and internationalization. He currently serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of the American Dental Association, is board certified in healthcare management, and is the president of the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Montana Chapter.

Joseph Best, DDS, PhD, is a 1989 graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry (MUSOD) and a part-time faculty member at the dental school in the division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He is the course director for the Medical Emergencies and Pharmacotherapeutics courses at MUSOD and lectures extensively in pharmacology, medicine, oral surgery, and implant dentistry, both at the dental school and in regional continuing education programs. Dr. Best received his PhD in pharmacology and a certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon and maintains a private practice with Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates of Waukesha in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He is also a certified basic life support instructor for the American Heart Association.

Courses must be completed within one (1) year of the date of purchase or by the expiration date indicated above, whichever date comes first

You must score 75% or higher on the final exam and complete the course evaluation to pass this course and receive a certificate of completion

Through our review processes, Western Schools ensures that the course content is presented in a balanced, unbiased manner and is free from commercial influence. It is Western Schools’ policy not to accept commercial support

All persons involved in the planning and development of this course have disclosed no relevant financial relationships or other conflicts of interest related to the course content